He still had a mission to carry out later, so he had to get things done quickly.
"Darling, be gentle..."
"..."
In the Fang family's residence in the southern city, Fang Yan returned home, showered, and sat at her desk to work. While working, her mind was filled with images of Zhang Liunian, and her notebook was filled with his name.
Upon realizing this, she panicked and immediately tore out the page, throwing it into the trash. It was at this moment that Fang Ru entered with a bowl of medicine.
"Big Sister, Mom asked me to bring this to you. She said you've been suffering from severe insomnia lately and got you two doses of medicine. You'll feel better after drinking it." Fang Ru placed the bowl in front of Fang Yan and leaned against her desk, watching her.
Fang Yan took the bowl, sniffed it, and then frowned. "It's so bitter. I don't want to drink it."
"Good medicine tastes bitter. Your spirits have been really low lately. Anyone who didn't know would think you haven't been resting. Big Sister, tell me, why exactly are you suffering from insomnia?" Fang Ru stood with her arms crossed, looking at Fang Yan, suddenly curious about the reason for her sleeplessness.
Fang Yan's eyes flickered with panic, but she quickly composed herself. "It's just work. You know how our food factory has been suppressed by the Tang family recently, and business has been declining. On top of that, the higher-ups are demanding increased performance. I'm just worried about this."
In reality, this was only a small part of the reason. More importantly, she realized she might have fallen for a married man, and she was in a phase of internal struggle and self-loathing.
Of course, she would never reveal this.
"Really? Why do I feel like you're acting a bit strange? Lately, you haven't been willing to see any of the blind dates Mom and Dad have introduced you to. Do you have someone in your heart?" Fang Ru was quite curious about who could capture the affection of her superwoman of a big sister.
"No, I don't. You're thinking too much." Fang Yan lowered her gaze, not wanting Fang Ru to see her emotions.
"Big Sister, you're being defensive. In the past, whenever you were defensive, you would lower your eyes. Don't lie to me, you definitely have someone you like. If that person happens to like you too, you can completely bring them home. Our family won't force you into an arranged marriage or anything. No matter who you find, Mom and Dad won't object."
Fang Ru didn't understand why Fang Yan was being so difficult. If she liked someone, she should just bring them home. Why would she be suffering from insomnia?
"You don't understand. There's no possibility between us." It was precisely because there was no possibility that she was suffering and experiencing insomnia. Moreover, she had even schemed against him. Therefore, Fang Yan knew very well that she and Zhang Liunian could absolutely not be together.
"What is impossible in this world? Just like me and Zhang Liuxing, our college romance, and look at the result now?" Fang Ru's expression turned indifferent as she spoke, and she no longer wished to stay. She got up to leave.
Seeing this, Fang Yan could only sigh. She picked up the herbal medicine and drank half of it before finding herself unable to continue. She then put it aside.
However, not long after, she felt a needle-like pain in her head. "What's going on? Why does my head hurt so much, so much..."
"Bang!"
A loud noise came from upstairs. The Fang family members in the living room downstairs heard the commotion and looked up. They saw Fang Yan crawling to the top of the stairs, bleeding from all seven orifices. Screams erupted, and some rushed forward.
After a period of chaos, Fang Yan managed to survive, but she remained unconscious.
Meanwhile, Officer Tu returned home and noticed something was amiss. His beloved daughter had not returned home for a long time. He went out alone to search but found nothing. Just as he was becoming extremely worried, he found a letter at home.
At the same time, a major incident occurred in Zhangjia Village that night. Yu Xiaohua, who had gone out to dump the washbasin water, disappeared. This prompted Zhang Liushui to immediately call Zhang Liunian.
Zhang Liunian, who was about to set off for the farm, was taken aback by the call. His mother was missing? This made him recall the recent incident involving Jiang Qingqing and Hua Bao. Could it be the Tang family's doing again?
"Big Brother, search around first and see if she's really lost. I'll also have people guard the outskirts of the southern city. If it's indeed people from the southern city who made a move, there should be some news." Zhang Liunian had no choice but to personally find the eighteen uncles and explain the situation, asking them to help block the entrances to the southern city and see if it was truly people from the southern city who had acted.
"You don't need to come out. Just stay hidden. If you find any suspicious individuals, follow them. Do not expose yourselves. Wait for me to handle everything upon my return." After instructing the eighteen uncles, Zhang Liunian turned and followed Grandpa Huang to the farm.
The farm was still very quiet at night, even with tens of thousands of pigs inside, it was eerily silent.
"Boss, it's down there." Grandpa Huang pointed to a pigsty opposite them that had no pigs.
Zhang Liunian followed his gaze and indeed saw a faint light seeping from the ground of the pigsty. He cautiously approached, ensuring he hadn't attracted the attention of the people below. He then turned and waved to Grandpa Huang behind him, signaling him to return home and not be discovered.
Grandpa Huang nodded and slowly left, but he didn't go straight home. Instead, he waited outside, wanting to leave with Zhang Liunian.
As for Zhang Liunian, he lay on the ground and peered through the crack. Unfortunately, the gap was too small, and he couldn't see anything after looking for a long time.
Helpless, he could only retreat and hide, choosing to wait.
He waited for more than half a day until dawn, when six men emerged from below, each carrying something. He didn't know what it was.
Zhang Liunian watched these men and couldn't help but wonder if he should make a move now, capture these individuals, and interrogate them one by one. He wasn't sure if there were others behind them.
While he was hesitating, the six men had already walked away, making it impossible to act. He could only wait longer.
Another half hour passed, and seeing that there was no further activity from behind, Zhang Liunian re-entered the pigsty. Finding it dark below, he decided to go down and investigate. Although it was a bit risky, he felt it would be worth it.
Having made up his mind, Zhang Liunian opened the floor hatch, took out a flashlight, and quietly walked in. As soon as he went down, he was startled because there was a human specimen inside, preserved in glass. It was something that would scare half a person to death in the middle of the night. If Zhang Liunian hadn't been so composed and had seen his share of dangers, he too would have made some noise.
"Hoo~" Adjusting his breathing, Zhang Liunian continued to scan his surroundings. He then saw more frightening things, such as human brains, internal organs, and large intestines. In short, many disgusting items were present.
Zhang Liunian was not interested in these. He had come to find evidence and to confirm that illegal research was being conducted here, preferably in a way that would capture the Tang family completely.
After searching through everything, he finally found the documents they were researching. The files indeed stated that they were related to research on developing intelligence and extending lifespan.